The Princess and Her Devil
by Rewrite the Mistake
Summary: Haru Okumura finds herself in the unwanted company of the new boy in school. No one knows anything about him save for his devilish smile and rotten attitude. As the year progresses, Haru tasks herself with overcoming her fears, lest she be a victim all her life. Little does she know her greatest strength will come from her closest fear.
1. Chapter 1

"No! Wait! Not my baby!"

A woman shouts with hysteria in her voice. A tall man with an intimidating build stands on top of another man that he's beaten. His heavy foot weighs down on the defeated man's head grinding him into the hardwood floor.

"Ukukuku!~ Y'should've thought about that loan y'took out! Shitty apartment! Ugly woman! No talent of your own?! Y' ain't got anythin' good 'round 'ere! So I'll be takin' this little 'un from ya instead."

"B-Bastard...! Give him back!"

The bigger man raises his foot to stomp on the head again.

"Quit actin' tough! I heard all about yer argument about an abortion! Can't afford a kid, huh? Can't even afford th' roof! I'm honestly doin' ya a favor!"

The man puts pressure on the head as he takes a step forward with a wailing baby in hand. The police would arrive too late. They would never find that child again for years...

* * *

Sixteen years into the future, our present time, on the bustling streets of Japan two men walk side by side. An older man with a blonde undercut towers over the intimidated crowd sneers cruelly past them all. He doesn't see the insects scrambling around his feet with eyes on the prize, as well as the means to achieve that prize.

The young boy at his side, simply a teenager in build and size, but his face reflects as much malice as his elder. Two eager opportunists ready to take on the world. They arrive at an expensive building to meet their client. A powerful man in means of influence and resources, the current face of Japanese politics and the future candidate for Prime Minister, but most importantly the duo's most lucrative client.

They meet him. A bald man with sun-tinted shades looks up from a neatly organized set of papers on his desk with another young man standing in front of him. A handsome young adult with a genial smile

"Yamazaki-san. Sakamoto-san. I wasn't expecting to see you two back alive…"

Sakamoto gives a quiet cackle before leaning dangerously close.

"I can't cause your fairy ass trouble from the grave, Goro! ~ How would you and Shido get along without us?"

"Please remove yourself from my space lest I make you."

"It's the only way you'll show your true colors."

They exchange deathly glares to one another until both are withdrawn by their respective elder. Yamazaki whistles as he yanks his student back by his short blonde hair.

"Reign it in this time, Bastard! ~ We're here on business not bloodshed."

"O-ow! Ow, ow! S-Stop that! Quit it!"

Shido only coughs for Goro's attention. The adults turn their attention towards to each other. Yamazaki, effortlessly restraining Sakamoto despite the boy's wild thrashings, laughs as his spare hand holds up an envelope.

"We didn't come empty handed either. From what I hear is you've already got a job, right?"

That has Sakamoto cease with his futile struggles upon hearing the news. His eyes light up with a dark flame of delight.

"What?! So soon?! I'm so ready for another beat down! Where are we going this time, Shido-san? ~ I hope's it's France this time!"

Yamazaki releases his ferocious grip only to ruffle Sakamoto's hair.

"Shut up n' listen to th' bald man, Bastard!"

Shido steels his gaze with internal disgust at these two freaks. He despises these two plagues on society that terrorize people wherever they go. How he loathes that needs them. No, it is more so that if he hadn't employed them, any one of his enemies would, and that is a risk he cannot afford.

He has to use his greatest liabilities to disassemble any and all obstacles in his way to victory.

"Yamazaki. You didn't tell him?"

" 'Course not! Th' kid loves surprises! Ain't that right, Bastard?!"

Sakamoto snickers approvingly as a response. Shido groans through a closed mouth before continuing.

"Sakamoto. This will be a solo job for you. You see, a partner of mine has begun to have some perilous thoughts of betrayal. He thinks himself cunning as he plans this in secret, but there are no secrets from me in this city, but he's too useful to dispose of for now. I've created a sense of danger to one of his trump card. His daughter."

He looks to Goro, who only adjusts is gloves as he dropped his façade and has since donned his true personality. A cold voice with empty eyes speaks flatly.

"It was a simple matter when he parades her almost as a peacock. A hit and run followed up by an assault from an unfortunate series of psychotic individuals has him on edge."

Shido nods and stares directly at Sakamoto.

"That's where you come in. I've gifted Okumura, you. A bodyguard who can also act the part as an undercover confidant, and more importantly, an on hand assassin should the time arrive… I don't plan on killing his daughter since it's clear she's no mind of her own. However, her death would be quite convenient."

Sakamoto laughs with a roll of his head.

"So either way you win, huh Baldie? When do I start."

"Today. Goro."

Goro hands Sakamoto a paper and takes the envelope from Yamazaki. The blondes look the paper over, Yamazaki laughs, but Sakamoto's grinning faces twists to a scowl.

"Look at that! It really is th' perfect place for ya t' fit in!"

"Highschool…?!"

Shido relishes in the pleasant surprise he has at the boy's own dismay.

"If there's a problem I'll simply call on someone else to-"

"NO!"

Sakamoto roars abruptly. It was only a moment, but the force of his voice and power of his lungs has cause both Goro and Shido to lean back. Goro himself knows just how fearsome the boy could be when enraged. Even so, even with the paper crinkling in hand from unseen energy, Sakamoto points at Shido.

"I'll do it! If I'm doing this alone, this means I'm the only one getting paid to do it, right? All the cash for this job is for me! Right!?"

Shido looks at Yamazaki, but the burly man only shrugs with his blood boiling from the rise in his student, he molded him to be like this and his efforts are paying off. Shido nods, sighing with the unreasonable sensation of defeat.

"I see no reason as to why not. You'll be paid in increments as opposed to the usual. This is a long-term dedication you'll be assigned to. His daughter is a third year, so you'll only need to be by her side until then. Understand?"

Sakamoto snickers with his own sneer returning. In his hand, the paper crinkles further and further before erupting into flames from an electrical spark.

"Keep her safe and sound until I gotta kill her myself, right? Easy money…! ~"


	2. Chapter 2

Haru Okumura gets ready for the day as she's done for the past fourteen years of her life. A routine programmed into her mind and body for as long as she can remember. Her servants lay out her clothes, her breakfast already prepared, from bathing to brushing her hair and teeth. A small part of her desires a break from the monotony. A voice buried deep within yearning for something different. Such voice is soon silenced by the discipline instilled in her by her father. Independence on that level is borderline rebellion, something her father would not tolerate, something she could not tolerate. Even in silence, the desire remains, a burden she carries to this day as she passes the school gate to Shujin Academy.

Then she bumps into a warm wall. She falls back only to be caught.

"Ah-!"

"Yo."

She looks up with a meek face before her eyes widen with fear. Sakamoto stands there leaning over her. He straightens her up before stepping back to give her space, eyeing her closely still.

"You're… Haru Okumura, right?"

She nods reluctantly. He stands up straight and tilts his head before turning around mumbling.

"Just my luck…"

She stands to her feet ready to apologize but he's long gone. All that's left are the murmuring of the students.

"You see that creep standing there like that?"

"I only blinked and he was there. How are you supposed to react to that?"

"That kind of look on a guy is too creepy… Is he a new student?"

"The real question is he human? I've never seen someone with rows of fangs before!"

Haru has her own thoughts. That boy is trouble and should be avoided, and avoid him she did, for the entire day she hadn't even heard of him since. School ended rather uneventfully, just as she'd like it, and makes her way to the rooftop after school. Her own private Eden, a tiny tomato garden and all that remains of the Garden Club's work; save for the bushes and trees around school. Those are now taken care of by hired gardeners instead. However, as she reaches the roof her heart drops into her stomach.

Sakamoto hadn't attended class after his introduction. He sat there bored out of his mind until the lunch bell rang. He ignored the rules and signs of going to the roof. For the rest of the day he stares blankly at the sky in idle thought… Until something green caught the corner of his eyes. A strange and out of place garden makes his stomach grumble. Even though the stalk bears young fruit, he can tell what it is immediately, and makes his way over. Haru walks in on him watering the plant in the bucket she hid within the pile of desks now sprawled all over the roof.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?"

He doesn't look at her until he's done tending to the plant. He looks over and smiles to her unnerving discomfort.

"What's it look like? You gotta problem with it?"

"That's my garden… I need to see if you're tending to it properly. You could've damaged it."

"Wanna come over and see?"

His smile hardens with his eyes narrowing at her. She unconsciously hugs an arm before approaching him with caution.

"… You like to garden?"

"It beats decaying in a hardwood and metal chair. The asshole teacher sent me to a desk with gum under it. What a piece of shit."

Haru gasps having rarely heard such foul language out of her peers. There's no doubt in her mind now, Shujin Academy has its first delinquent in a long time. She speaks sternly at him.

"You can't use such a repulsive tongue at school! O-Or, anywhere, for that matter! It's simply unwarranted!"

"Did you think I would care if you told me?"

"I have to! I can see you're a second year student! As your senpai-!"

He slaps a hand over her mouth and forces her against the fenced wall of the roof. He leans in close with a snarl.

"Don't talk down to me unless you want to sleep in a body bag…"

Haru had never really been assaulted like this. Her whole life she lived in a bubble and now this one boy has popped it wide open. He removes himself from her and watches her run. To his surprise she didn't scream. He hadn't planned on following her, but it's his job to protect her until he has to kill her, and so he leisurely follows her. That's when he sees a well-dressed man approach her. He brings an arm around her shoulders smoothly and escorts her into an ivory limousine. Sakamoto remembers one of the details of his missions.

* * *

_Shido taps a photo of a handsome young man on his desk._

_"This is another one of Kunikazu's petty pets, the son of a rival politician of mine. He's planning on using his daughter and this whelp as a married couple to enter the political world through status. If you can, do what you will with him, dead or alive it doesn't' matter to me."_

_Sakamoto nods as he stretches his arms._

_"So I can play with my food this time, huh? Tell me about him."_

_"He's quite the ladies' man, although it's mostly through his wealth, however the daughter seems all but infatuated with him."_

_Goro manages a small smile as he shows footage from his phone._

_"I would go as far to say that she can't stand being around him."_

_Yamazaki slaps the boy's back with a guttural growl._

_"Remember! If she trusts ya, ya can kill 'er better, so don't screw this up by goin' in all wild like we usually do!"_

_"That'll be easier for me then for you, old man... So take care of this guy, huh? I think I can do that without getting in trouble."_

* * *

Sugimura waves goodnight to his dearest betrothed. She plays reserved but he's known girls like that before. It may be harder to impress her than the others though. Unlike them, she had already been raised a noble, so his regal gifts are but naught space in her eyes. He thinks of ways to woo her, to be with her, to be inside of her. They're interrupted by the limousine's abrupt stop.

"Hey, driver. What do you think you're doing?"

There's a silent pause. His good mood is nearly ruined until he hears a voice in the speaker.

_("Sorry, unexpected delay. We will return home shortly.")_

"We better."

He looks out the window as his thoughts return to his beloved Haru. The gods themselves must have smiled at him, and he will make her his, someone so beautiful even to a man who has everything? She is all he has left to claim...

And then the limo stops at dock somewhere he doesn't recognize. In fact, in his inane daydreaming and lecherous fantasies, he hadn't noticed how far away from his penthouse he's been taken.

"Driver! What is the meaning of this!?"

There's no answer. He refuses to leave the comfort of his luxury leather. Peons like this impudent man already know their place.

"Driver?!"

The voice returns with a mocking tone.

_("Hey, use my name if you want to get anywhere.")_

"Why would I remember you? We cycle through drivers all the t-"

The window breaks as the vehicle shakes from being struck with great force. Someone from the outside pounds on it with a bat, a crow bar, some blunt object that decimates it with each blow.

"W-What is this travesty! Step on the gas! We're under attack you idiot!"

"Oi, oi, oi!~ It's just us two! Ain't nothing to be scared of..."

Sugimura's eyes widened. He has heard of employees going crazy against their bosses rather than simply committing suicide or leaving the company. Perhaps this was another incident of a psychotic breakdown going around town as well. He has to call the police immediately. He takes out his phone but a hand breaks through one of the windows and snatches it from him.

"Ah, ah, ah... It's gonna remain just the two of us."

"Y-You fiend! You mother fucker! Do you know who you're dealing with?!"

Sugimura lets out a shriek as another hand comes down from the roof of the car, barely missing his hair to grab, the rich boy scurries across the floor of the car looking through the hole fearfully as he sees Sakamoto's face.

"I'm dealing with a spoiled brat who doesn't know his place... You're the prey. **I'm the predator.**"

Sugimura hastily goes for the nearest door but falls back seeing him already on the other side. He hops back onto the roof and pours a strong scented liquid inside. Sugimura, a boy who has never had to leave his car save for when arriving or leaving from one location to another, had never truly recognize the smell of gasoline.

"I don't wanna hear you scream, pretty boy! I wanna hear you _sing!_"

Sugimura goes to open the doors, but Sakamoto had beaten them into the limousine so intensely that they had jammed into the vehicle, leaving him with the only option of climbing out or remaining inside. His ultimatum however is decided for him as the vile boy lights a match from outside and throws it in. The car comes to life with searing flames. The noble son throws himself out of the car, rolling to put the fire out, he's doused by a heavy stream of saltwater from the sea.

The stink of fish and his burnt clothes, the pain and fear instilled in him, it's all too much for him mind to process as he tries crawl away. He whines through a wheeze as Sakamoto stomps on his back.

"I'll only say this once so listen carefully. Keep your hands, your eyes, and even your thoughts off of Haru Okumura. If I even notice you out the corner of my eye when she's around..."

He applies more pressure before raising his foot and bringing it down hard on the spine. Sugimura wails over the loud snap that was once a connected spine. His assailant pulls him up by his hair to whisper cruelly into his ear.

"Your legs won't be the only thing you lose..."

He slams the rich boy's head into the hard pavement before making his leave...


	3. Chapter 3

Sakamoto walks the halls of Shujin only to be stopped by a student.

"Ryuji Sakamoto?"

A girl, third year he can tell by her student badge, but her uniform certainly stood out from the rest. She scans him with red eyes narrowing into his.

"I heard you hadn't returned to class the other day... I hope you know that kind of behavior isn't tolerated here."

Sakamoto tilts his head at her with a stoic stare.

"You a student teacher? You're wearing a uniform..."

"I'm Makoto Niijima. Student Council Pres-"

"I don't give a shit."

He walks right past her without a second thought. Stunned by being tossed aside so casually, she spins around and grabs his shoulder.

"Excuse you? We're not done here."

"Yeah, we are."

It's a simple action. He merely grabs her wrist, and in but a moment, she found herself on her knees. There isn't any pain, but a numbing sensation, a faint vibration running through her body followed by a breath-taking sensation. She looks up at Sakamoto as he speaks coldly.

"_You seem like the teacher's pet type. Do yourself a favor and stay in your lane. I'll kick the shit out of you if you touch me again_."

He lets go of her and continues walking to class. She can only sit on her knees in disgust and confusion as to what happened. Then, she stews in silent rage at the embarrassment of him subduing her in public. Students watching mumble among each other.

"N-Niijima-senpai could be hurt...!"

"Yeah, that guy's insane, doesn't he know who her sister is?"

"He's gonna get expelled for sure... Still, why would she approach a freak like that?"

"That guy's hands were bandaged. I bet he gets into fights all the time."

"You see those rings under his eyes? They're kinda dark to be natural... You'd have to lose a lot of sleep for them to be like that!"

I bet it's make-up. Poor Niijima-senpai. She got taken down a peg by some queer of all people!"

Their constant background chatter only adds more to her frustration. The pink on her face becomes A bright red as she forces herself to stand and walk past them all. Sakamoto would be a most troublesome figure, so she must find out all she can about him.

In and out of school.

She reports this to Principal Kobayakawa, a portly man who stuffs himself into suits far too small for his size. He nods with a grim tone.

"A student like that is quite the pain. I'm unsure how he even appeared on our registry but I will be happy to hear what you'll find out. With luck we may have things in our favor."

"Sir. Hopefully I can steer him on the right path. Excuse me."

She goes and takes her leave. Unaware of the phone call her principal receives as soon as she does so. She scours the building in search of him after school, having heard he skipped class again, she believes he would have ran off campus.

She finds him on the roof instead with Haru. The two have a noticeable gap between them...

* * *

_Haru would not be deterred nor bullied away from her one safe haven in life. She would confront the menace at school, and probably beg for him to go away, although her original plan was certainly more firm... She simply didn't have it in her to confront someone so intimidating. Haru was in for a shock when she met Sakamoto on the roof._

_Immediately as she approached him, he got on his hands and knees, his head met the ground before he said clearly._

_"I'm sorry about yesterday."_

_Stunned, she could only blink and stare at him for what felt like minutes before responding._

_"Y-You're... Apologizing?"_

_He didn't lift his head as he spoke._

_"I shouldn't have lashed out at you yesterday. You were minding your business and I just invaded your space. I forgot where I was. I'm not asking for your forgiveness. Please, teach me how to garden!"_

_She nearly fell out of disbelief. This manic looking crazed boy was near shouting for her novice wisdom in a hobby she found to be niche. It took her a moment to compose herself before reluctantly sighing._

_"... You sound earnest... And I was scared after yesterday, I still am, but you seem to have regretted it. Why ask me?"_

_"Gardening lets me forget all my anger so I don't lash out like before. If I can get it down then I can work on being a better person easier... Maybe even have a few friends..."_

_"You don't have any friends?"_

_Sakamoto stood up and pointed__ to his face as he gave an open mouth grimace._

_"Do you think anyone wants to be friends with this? I'll pay you if that's what you want... It's really the only talent I have worth working on."_

_His grimace turns to a somber frown. Shoulders slumped and voice riddled with guilt and pain. Haru could barely stand it. She didn't know this boy at all... Maybe there was more to him than meets the eye. An idea struck her then._

_"... Sakamoto-kun... If you want to garden and become a better person. Let us make a deal."_

_"A deal? What're we dealing here...?"_

_"I will teach you all I know, but only if you attend class, and study for your exams. If you fail or if your grades drop too low then I will never speak to you again."_

_Sakamoto's eyes flashed. Haru had never seen such a thing before. Eyes quite literally sparked to life as his face contorted into a fierce scowl. She took a step back, and that alone calmed him down._

_He can't afford to kill her now. Not yet. He needed to gain her trust. He needed to play along._

_His face relaxed with his eyes closed after a few breaths._

_"I think those are fair stipulations. Here are my own though. If I gotta study then help me study. Alright?"_

_Haru nodded with a faint smile and relief in her heart. There was hope._

_"I'll do what I can... Let's see what we can do today!"_

* * *

Makoto watches them for a few minutes trying to understand why these two would even interact. By all accounts they are opposite ends of the social pole and yet they talk to each other rather easily.

Sakamoto gently plants a seed as per Haru's orders. He buries it and looks back at her irritated.

"Like this...?"

She nods with a glow to her face. It's a relief that this otherwise explosive boy is listening to her so obediently.

"Yes! You have to treat each plant with care, or else! You might get your results with the bare minimum..."

He looks back at the dirt patch in the container with a grunt.

"But then you get a shitty result... I think a I get it."

Haru notices Sakamoto's drop in energy. It isn't like they're friends but to see this frenzied delinquent become practically mute bothered her.

"Sakamoto-kun?"

"... Huh?"

"Are you alright?"

He looks back at her forcing on a scowl.

"What're you asking that for? I don't do drugs if that's what you're asking!"

Haru hadn't even considered the idea until now, neither did Makoto, the two seniors look at Sakamoto with varying concern.

"Sakamoto-kun, I wouldn't assume that. Wouldn't your parents be ashamed of that?"

"I don't got any."

"What...? N-No one? You live with a guardian?"

"I don't live with anyone. I come to school, I stay a couple of hours, I hit the streets until school starts again."

"Sakamoto-kun... Are you homeless?"

He turns away from her. Internally laughing, yet it is true for the most part. Yamazaki didn't give him a dime to work with, only the bare essential hygiene products, as well as the clothes on his back. He is homeless. He just isn't helpless.

"Hey, we're about done here. I'm gonna go now."

He stands to leave but she stands in his way.

"There has to be someone out there. You can't be completely alone..."

"I make my money on the side to keep from smelling like shit and my stomach full."

She shakes her head determined to get to thw bottom his mysterious life.

"You can't just say things like that... Life isn't so simple."

Sakamoto leans in close to her which prompts a reaction of revulsion. She remembers the other day vividly, but refuses to run, not this time. She waits as he speaks in a low whisper.

"Why are you asking about my personal life so damn much?"

"... You wanted to be a better person... I can't help you if I don't know you."

He stares her down awaiting some kind of break in eye contact. However, Haru not only maintains it, she reinforces her own glare to match his. She speaks up coldly.

"I dare say I may be the only one who will give you the time of day."

Sakamoto met girls like this before. Cutsey on the outside but fierce on the in. It certainly is a turn on for him, so much so that he can't keep from smiling, but it's more than the carnal desires of the flesh. It's the unexpected trait from an unassuming target. Haru steps back from seeing his face curl up.

"S-Sakamoto-kun?"

"Just. Sakamoto. Tell you what. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

He walks around her and marches to the door ignoring Haru's confused gaze. Makoto narrowly runs down the stairs fast enough before waiting for him. To her surprise he doesn't address her. She walks right next to him with a cough for his attention.

"Sakamoto."

"What do you want."

"You can't seriously be living on the streets alone. How else could you come to a school like this?"

He glances at her flashing a vile smirk.

"Spying on people isn't exactly socially acceptable, Mako-Chan."

She flinches with her nose scrunched in a face of disgust.

"M-Mako-Chan-!?"

"I don't care what you do just don't get in my way."

This guy is an idiot, she thought, after all she only needs to record and expose just how awful he is outside of school to expel him. She scoffs stepping away from him while still following.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you. You're trouble, and the sooner you leave, the better."

"Whatever."


	4. Chapter 4

"Goodness... Who would do such a thing?"

Makoto frowns at a group of screens on display detailing the news of a serial killer's newest victim. Sakamoto watches with a blank face.

"There are some scary monsters out in the world, Mako-Chan."

She turns to him agitated that he nearly walks off without yet again.

"How would you know about that? Personal experience?"

He abruptly does an about face nearly colliding with her.

"Keep following me and you'll find out. Don't you have a bedtime?"

"Why ask if you knew I'd still be here? I took a train with you! I'm not going to leave until I find out more about you."

"At least you're not trying to sneak around and stalk me like some retard..."

He marches on with his unwanted companion down the streets of Shinjuku. She grows increasingly uncomfortable with rhe cavalier and lecherous atmosphere. Not even a few minutes on the road of the Red-Light District are they approached by a well dressed man eyeing her.

"Hey there, you being paid by this guy to follow him around? I can pay you more just sit still."

Makoto graciously declines.

"No payment involved, sorry."

Immediately after another man comes to recruit her.

"Excuse me, ma'am! If you'd like, would you sample this perfume?"

"A-Ah... No thank you."

A third one shows up with a partner, and another, and another, until Makoto loses Sakamoto from the wave of men. Eventually she finds herself lost after running away.

"You're from Shujin, right?"

She turns to a police officer who looks at her with suspicion. She nods frantic to explain herself.

"Y-Yes, but I'm here looking for a fellow classmate! I believe he may be up to no good..."

"What's his name? I might have seen him."

"Ryuji Sakamoto, dyed blonde hair, his teeth filed to fangs and you can only tell he's in uniform by his pants."

"Ah... I have seen him. Follow me."

"Thank goodness...!"

Makoto fervently follows the officer, but quickly finds something off putting, several things actually. He doesn't ask for her name, nor any other questions and doesn't call in to any units, but she lays these worries to rest with her own rationalizations. This is hardly an emergency, an annoyance at most in his eyes, but her worries return as they venture to a far darker side of town.

"He went down this way."

"Did he?"

She enters a narrow and shallow alley. A dead end greets her with no lights around. She turns and notices the officer staring at her in an unnerving way. His face falls to a grimacing scowl and he pulls out a knife.

"Students like you are the worst... I saw how those men were chasing after you. Any decent student would be home by now."

"What are you...?! Y-You're not a real officer!"

"I killed that corrupt cop and took his uniform to lure in trash like you... Go ahead and scream. In this part if town, no one will care."

She enters a self-defense stance. Years ago she took aikido classes, and though she hadn't practiced for some time, she was far from rusty. Makoto knows she can't let the fear in her take over. She waits for him to get close and thrust his knife before countering with a party. She throws his offending arm to the side before striking his nose with her palm.

"Get away from me! Ah-!"

She stumbles back holding her arm. A shallow cut bleeds through her sleeve. The murderer only tilts his head left and right with a small pop.

"You can't fight... You're not like them. You're just a degenerate."

The psychopath goes to attack her again, but gags from his shirt collar being pulled from behind, a wheeze follows a yelp as he's thrown back by Sakamoto.

"You've got awful luck, Mako-Chan..."

The murderer stands up bleeding from his nose and eyes. Makoto gasps having heard of this...

"That man is... He's suffering a mental shutdown!?"

"Yeah and no. The truth is he's on auto-pilot. He was probably like this before the one behind it all got to him."

Makoto's eyes widened at his words before becoming stupefied at the next scene. It isn't a fight. It's an instant defeat. She blinked and before she knew it, the whole incident was over.

Sakamoto hates weaklings picking on weaklings. The strong earned the right for their play things, and the weak obey, but the weak should work together with the weak to become strong. This is what he believes in. He abandoned Makoto only for a short time to steal wallets from the crowd, but when looking for her after gathering enough yen for dinner, he couldn't find her in any of the clubs.

Either she had went home or found herself in trouble. Was it luck or some predestined form of fate that allowed him to hear her cry upon being cut? He doesn't care. This human puppet runs at him with the intent to kill. He only sneered a moment mumbling

"Goro, you need to find better toys...!"

He leans forward with his tongue put to mock his newest playmate, waiting for the exact moment before everything ended in a single strike, his left hand blurs as the fake officer stumbles back with his jaw completely unhinged. A bruise with faint smoke on his sunken cheek before his back hits the ground. Sakamoto turns around to face Makoto as he stuffs his steaming hand into his pocket.

"Yo. You hungry?"

"... Huh? W-What!? How could you be thinking about food at a time like this!?"

"It's dinner time, egghead. I haven't eaten all day."

"You just punched out a killer! W-We need to report this to the police! Immediately!"

"Fine..."

For Makoto, this is important and even a sign of events to come, but Sakamoto only found this all a nuisance. He couldn't imagine someone so weak being such a big deal, but after the cops hauled him away, people began crowding around him. Of course, due to the violent nature of his action, the police detain him.

He's been arrested before and knows what to expect, but imagine his surprise when a woman in a grey suit arrives instead of an officer. She sits down in front of him with a familiar red eyed glare.

"Ryuji Sakamoto."

"Present."

"You have an interesting record..."

"You mean the ones with all the black lines? I like to play ad-lib with it. Makes for fun conversation."

"How did you find yourself in that situation? I could only imagine what was going through your head..."

"This is annoying and this guy's a waste of space. Why am I still here? It isn't like I killed the guy."

"Are you certain about that Toyataro Oh-"

"I don't care for his fucking name. You seen mental shutdoens and psychotic people. It's the same M.O. ain't it?"

"... You've faced people like that before is what you're saying."

Sakamoto leans back in the chair sighing.

"I fight a lot of things. People. Animals. Freaks. Monsters. Why are you picking on me though, lady? Interested in me or something?"

She nods and places a folder on the table.

"I am. Someone is protecting you. Someone pays for your way into Shujin Academy, and though you've only just joined, I can tell you're not the diligent type. Those people outside may think you're a rugged hero, but I know you're up to something, and I will figure it out."

"Okay. Check out the Okumura Company, y'know, owned by Kunikazu Okumura? You should get your lead there."

She blinks with a confused face as to why he would randomly say that. A lead to what? Kunikazu? The government corruption? The source of the mental shutdowns? Before she can ask any further questions the door opens. Goro walks in with his polite façade on. For her, this is who he really is.

"Sae-san. I'm afraid we'll have to let him go. Try not to be upset with-"

"Hey! ~ Goro!"

His careful mask he has spent years crafting, years sculpting, immediately falls away as Sakamoto approaches him.

"... Sakamoto."

"Quit being cold to me when in public! I know you love me!"

"I hardly swing that way, sorry."

"We BOTH know that's a lie. This your partner?"

Sakamoto thumbs to Sae who looks between them puzzled more than ever.

"You two know each other? Akechi-kun?"

The detective growls under his breath. He has to play it cool. Stay in character. He smiles patting Sakamoto's back.

"Why, yes. We grew up in the same orphanage for a time. I'd say he was my first friend."

Sakamoto's wide smile shrinks into a grin.

"God doesn't like liars, Goro. I'll check you later. Sorry for stealing your thunder for a day."

He ruffles the detective's hair and leaves. Sae watches the blonde delinquent before looking to Goro.

"Akechi-kun... I never knew you were raised in an orphanage."

"That isn't what you're about to ask about."

"That boy was with Makoto. They go to same school. I need to know for her safety what he's like."

Goro shakes his head at her with a light chuckle.

"I'll tell that story later. Did he tell you anything useful?:

She nods and pulls her phone out.

"I'm going to have a few connections I made investigate Okumura Foods. Hopefully the lead he gave me isn't a false one. I doubt anything of substance will be found so we won't be digging deep."

Goro's eyes fade with a shifty glance as her attention is off of him. He hates that even in his deepest part of his heart, he must admit that he's impressed with Sakamoto, for now the boy has pointed the law at the target as well. After all, the goal isn't to kill Haru, but dispose of her father for his impetuous ambitions.

He wasn't lying when he said they were friends.


	5. Chapter 5

Sakamoto hates this already. Everyone around him tries to act like he's a friend after taking down a killer. As far as he's aware, they're the weak celebrating the power of the strong, as history has shown them to do since time immemorial. Students, strangers, everywhere he goes this morning people greet him with great admiration.

Save for the teacher at the school gate.

He was certainly used to the cold glares and dismissive whispers, but with everyone on his side today, this teacher stood out. Literally. An athletic man, roughly if not a few centimeters shorter than Yamazaki, stands in his way. A straight punchable chin with a broad nose.

"Sorry to stop you when you're getting to class but I thought it'd be important to tell you this..."

The man leans close whispering to Sakamoto with a charismatic smile hiding the insipid tone of malice in his voice.

"I'm the king of this castle... Don't think you can grow a big head after that stunt."

Sakamoto scoffs and shoves him aside to continue into the building. He does listen to the disapproving onlookers.

"That's Sakamoto, right? He punched out that serial killer!"

"I can totally see how... He's got a terrible attitude."

"Kamoshida-sensei was probably checking on him. He's a really nice teacher!"

"Who do you think would win in a fight?"

"Don't put them together like they're Shonen characters! Kamoshida-sensei is an Olympic Gold Medalist! So he'd totally win."

He tunes them out. Today would be just another day for him to waste until after school. Then he notices everyone changing into gym uniforms. A volleyball game is scheduled between the students and teachers. A sneer stretches on his face before he goes to get changed.

* * *

Yuuki Mishima is by all accounts, unimpressive and generic, quite literally the last person you would think of for anything outside of a background character. There is the universal law, not a philosophy but a harsh reality, that the world is governed and inhabited by two categories of any living creature. From the smallest gamete that races towards the egg for a chance of life, to the celestial bodies we've yet to discover in the vastness of space, there is the winner and the loser. We have several titles, synonyms , to fit these categories to numerous situations throughout history. Predator and prey. Top and bottom. First and last. In the hearts of those twisted enough, even good and evil.

With this in mind, his whole life he has been at the bottom, the prey of predatory bullying, never athletic enough to be exceptional and was often last chosen in games if he was allowed to play at all. Such has been his life even today, despite being on the esteemed volleyball coached by Kamoshida, it's little more than to be said adult's plaything. That and for his technological aptitude to find dirt on students. He used these weaselly means get into Kamoshida's good wishes, but soon he learned sucha thing was worthless, as like many of the volleyball team he is constantly abused...

Today is a public shaming to remind him and the others in their place. As the school watches, completely unaware of the horrid intention of Kamoshida as he spikes a ball into an unassuming student's leg. He falls over and gets up with the help of his team while the teacher's celebrate Kamoshida's play. Another grueling round, another game of barely meeting the ball, only for it to end with the coach spiking the ball into Mishima's face.

He can't even react in time.

His sore eyes weakly open to a shadow standing over him. Sakamoto picks him up by the collar of his shirt.

"Yo. You dead?"

Mishima groans as a response. Sakamoto drags him to the bleachers before taking a spot on the student side of the team. One of the students call out.

"Hey! Volleyball team only, dude!"

Sakamoto barks back as he looks to Kamoshida.

"This is about school morale right?! I just wanna show my school spirit is all!"

Kamoshido snarls in his head, but that rage at this boy's impudence subsides as he sees an opportunity, a lesson that this upstart should learn rather early.

"Now, now, we have to respect someone with a little initiative. C'mon, Sakamoto-kun, I expect the best out of you!"

"Be careful what you ask for..."

The teacher serves and the student team for the first time begins to bounce back. Sakamoto alone acts as the team's defense, giving openings for the others to score, the one way match finally beginning to turn around. Of course, several watching attribute the comeback to the coach.

"Wow! About time they started showing off!"

"Kamoshida wasn't holding back from the start, was he? It looked like the volleyball team was getting pummeled."

"I bet they just want Sakamoto off the court so they're giving it their all."

A blonde student watches simply shaking her head to their oblivious perspective. She could see clearly what's happening before her. She wants to know why a delinquent like Sakamoto would go out of his way to make a rather mediocre team look good.

And then she saw it. The whole school did. The ball flew high into the air from the student's side. Kamoshida stands ready to defend but in a split moment everything slows down as the volleyball flies past his arms before movement. It feels like a ball of iron had slammed into his nose. Before all goes black he can feel his feet lift from the ground. This miserable bleached hair menace had used his own tactic against him...

Sakamoto sneers as the teachers run to Kamoshida's side. The sight of his broken nose gives him a sense of superiority that would've been the coach's had he not interfered. One of the students, among several, give him grievance for his action.

"Dude! What the hell!? Where'd you learn to play!?"

"Here. I never played before so I was following his example. I thought he'd block it since he's some champion."

Another student shouts at him.

"Kamoshida-sensei is an Olympic Gold Medalist! He was going easy on us and you went and knocked him out! Aren't you ashamed?!"

"Why would I be ashamed if he didn't block right? I was aiming for the ground but his face got in the way."

A teacher scoffs at him with disapproval in her voice.

"What a poor excuse...! You clearly targeted him there!"

"I said I was following his example. He's the one that showed me you can knock out your opponent. After all, you all have him a pass when he knocked out that boy over there."

Sakamoto points to Mishima, who had witnessed everything, speechless to what this delinquent was doing. Not many would see it as they preferred their own perspective than face the truth, but this menacing boy attempted to show the whole school Kamoshida's own nature through their hypocrisy.

The entire volleyball team came to this conclusion.

The teacher refutes this having the perspective that Sakamoto is nothing more than a violent thug making excuses. However, she opens her mouth to only stammer a moment caught in the slight conundrum.

"T-That's different. Kamoshida-san did that on accident."

"So a man who went to the Olympics, got the gold medal, but is clumsy enough to knock out a kid who clearly isn't built for sports to begin with?"

"A-Accidents happen..."

"And the well-being of students is apparently not a priority for the staff apparently. Making excuses for him but not calling out the spike? Get the fuck out of my face."

Sakamoto clicks his tongue and leaves the gym. He's met with Haru, who had ran after him, grabbing his wrist to stop him.

"Sakamoto-kun, wait! Why did you do that?"

He looks back at her with a daunting glare which has her release him.

"He's an asshole. A weakling who was picking on another weakling to feel strong. That isn't strength, it's cowardice."

"H-How can you be so sure that move was deliberate?"

His idle smile falls into a glowering scowl as he hisses.

"Cause I lived my whole life getting my ass kicked by people like that guy... You see those players on the side all mummified in gauze? Volleyball's a taxing sport, Okumura, but it's no American Football."

"You're accusing Kamoshida-sensei of abusing his own team...?"

"I don't need to accuse him when the evidence is right there."

Both are unaware of Makoto spying on them. She narrows her eyes, not at them, but at the idea of a teacher overstepping his boundaries. She leaves the duo to their own activities to investigate herself. In terms of a definitive answer, there isn't one, however each student of the volleyball team made her own suspicions grow more with each interview. Some even began to bite back at her with snide remarks.

Despite that it was clear that they were hiding something. Something she needed to expose for their own sake.


	6. Chapter 6

"What're you doing, Haru."

Sakamoto stares at her as she stands still just outside the school gate. She looks around curiously.

"Someone is supposed to be chauffeuring me home but... He isn't here."

"That sounds a bit like rich people, shit."

She glares at him silently chastising him for his language.

"Look at me all you want but it don't change the fact that you're without a ride."

"I can call my own ride."

"Sure, but what about walking? Or is it too far away for all that."

Her home is actually a good few miles away from the school. On foot, it could take until sundown. However, she doesn't want to go home. Her life has hit a new low when she finds speaking with Sakamoto over her own father. She would much prefer her father's company, but then she would be without a will of her own again, a subservient girl serving her father. This isn't the case with Sakamoto, someone that brings her unease, yet allows her to be herself. Day by day she begins to envy his outspoken nature.

"Accompany me."

He growls at her with a finger in her face.

"What did I say about talking down to me... Don't order me around like I'm your dog."

She pushes the hand aside with her own glare. She shakes slightly knowing he won't hesitate to assault her, but she won't be pushed around, not anymore.

"It was your suggestion. I know you can protect me should anything happen near us."

Sakamoto grows quiet. His mind a blank for a moment until he sneers and nods. He gestures for her to lead.

"I don't do bodyguard duty for free you know."

"You want me to pay you?"

"Nah. I just want something to eat. You ever had beef bowls?"

It certainly is out of the way for her, but she had never gone out on her own, let alone with someone close to her age. She never ate at such a simple establishment either. The crowds would bother her, but it seems to her that everyone knew each other, that this small restaurant. There's a conversation about work and it's constant troubles, the joys and nightmares of a family life, people talking about their lives...

Except for Sakamoto. It isn't like he's quiet, in fact this is the most she's heard him speak in such a friendly tone, knowing these men and women by name as if they were friends for years. He looks at her before pinching her nose gently.

"Oi, quit looking at me like a fish out of water!"

She scrunches her face and shakes her head to have him let go.

"Don't do that! I... I just didn't think you were so friendly after all."

"I'm not their friends."

"Huh...?"

He thumbs behind him at the group he had just made laugh with a crude joke.

"We're strangers here all looking to relax. It's the atmosphere of the place. I'm not about to go ruin it for everyone and they won't ruin it for me."

"Like an understanding... But you're all so casual with each other?"

"Course we are! It's the Beef Bowl shop! Not a buffet at the Royale. You enjoying yourself though? You're quieter than a mouse!"

She looks down at her empty bowl... She's had three so far. She's quite stuffed and yet her stomach tells her she could go for more.

"I was enjoying the meal. I can see why you'd come here. It's so different from my usual palate."

"The food isn't my concern, girl. You were dead silent and doing nothing but eating. You weren't even eating normally either. All prim and proper-"

She tilts her before waving politely for another bowl.

"Is etiquette foreign to you?"

"No. If anything I'm all too familiar with how someone taught to be a thing instead of a person looks like. I bet you have to impress everyone wherever you go?"

"Don't assume things about me. It's rude."

"So I'm right?"

She doesn't answer and flinches from his devious expression as she unintentionally confirms his suspicions. She expected him to insult or tease her for this. Instead...

"You don't have to hide in that shell of nobility here, Haru. Just be you."

"... I don't know how."

She looks at her fresh steaming bowl with a solemn face. She has been told her entire life how to be, who to be, and never until recently had she desired individuality. Why would she? She was for a time, safe, secure and perhaps content, until that man came into his life. It isn't that Sugimura himself was big impact on her life. It was the implication.

She isn't a daughter to her father. She's an item to be used, a bargaining chip, a thing.

She wants to believe otherwise. She wants to refuse this, however as she looks back on her life, after her mother's death he had changed for the worst. Sakamoto then pats her back with a strangely reassuring tone.

"It's easier said then done but it all starts with this! Going out and finding people to mingle with, shit you should do it at school, try it with Niijima."

"Niijima-san? The Student President? Why her?"

"Cause she's as socially awkward as you."

Haru pouting makes him laugh.

"Hehehe! ~ For real though it's cause she has a good heart. You two may have a bit in common."

Her face softens. She doesn't really have any friends. It really hits her now more than ever that this boy...

Takes her bowl and starts eating it.

"S-Sakamoto-kun! Stop that! Why would you eat mine?!"

"Cause you weren't! Quit pulling on me!"

For some reason this brings her levity. What was annoyance turns to laughter. They are about to leave the establishment, but a man with a scar on his face starts shouting.

"Huh!? You want me to pay that much for shoveling shit down my throat?!"

"S-Sir..."

The employee meekly lowers his head.

"You ordered are special nearly a dozen times... Y-You have to pay."

"Shut the fuck up!? Shit food now shit service!? I don't gotta take this!"

Haru notices that there was barely anyone else working the entire place.

"How awful... He doesn't deserve that after working so hard. S-Sakamoto-kun?"

Sakamoto walks up to the unruly customer and grabs him by his ear. He pulls him away by it to the outside.

"Ow-!? Ow! Ow ow, what the fuck!?"

"Shut up. You're ruining the atmosphere."

He glances behind him seeing other burly men follow them outside. Sakamoto releases him and the man slaps his hand away growling as his friends surround the boy.

"You're a dead man, kid! You know that? Follow us somewhere quiet."

"Not until you pay what you owe."

One of the underlings speak up.

"Why would we?! It's just a shitty meat place with beer!"

"Shit or not, you pay when you eat, that's how it works."

Another one approaches him laughing.

"Check this kid out! C'mon then. Teach us a lesson- Aghck!"

Sakamoto twists the thug's nose tilting the entire head before shoving him back.

"I'm out with a friend so I'll pay for it this time. Just get the fuck out of my sight before you ruin things for everyone."

The group all glare at him but the scar-faced man scoffs.

"You're an idiot... We'll be back for you. C'mon guys."

They leave with the customers inside watching on edge waiting for a fight to break out. While many are relieved, others joke about Sakamoto's luck, while few actually admire his stance. He goes to the employee and takes his own wallet out to pay.

"Wait."

Haru stops him to pay for it herself. Sakamoto smiles at her.

"You're just made of cash, aren't you."

"I am not. I am glad you didn't get into a fight... Why did you do that? We could've walked away."

"Those guys were pissing me off, plus I thought, why not help the guy out."

She blinks at him. A simple answer, for sure, but she began to see an underlying kindness underneath the violence.

"It's getting late. We should go."

"Yeah, whatever."

They walk close to each other idly talking about school, advice on specific fruits and vegetables to care for, eventually she stops walking with a curious gaze.

"Sakamoto. You said you'd tell me about your situation... Why are you living on the streets?"

He walks ahead a few steps before hanging his head with a sigh.

"It's as simple as it gets. I just am. Always have been."

He looks back at her smiling.

"Sorry if you were expecting anything else. I can't talk too much about my life, yet."

"You said you would tell me. Are you going back on your word? I waited all day yesterday for you to say something..."

She approaches him and slowly reaches for his shoulder.

"You're... Not the best boy I could be around... But you've shown me there's more to you than meets the eye. You can trust me, Ryuji."

Bingo. He's done it. He's finally gotten here to care. Even if a minute amount.

"I'm not a good guy...

He pats her head before he hears chuckling. He looks around to see himself surrounded by the same group as before. In fact there were even more men then last time. Not enough to worry him though. The scarred man snarls.

"That's the fucker there, guys! Whoever gets to most kicks in can have his girl!"

Lecherous eyes move to Haru, her skin crawls from the implication alone. One of the men point at her.

"Hey... That's Okumura's kid! We could get all kinds of cash if we take her!"

"Forget that! My sister nearly died working at Big Bang Burger! Fucking warehouse managers didn't care though and fired her!"

"Two shitty brats right here before us... What a day!"

Sakamoto only sneers. He hasn't actually hit anything worth beating on in a minute. He'll still have to wait but these weaklings will do. He will show them what strength is.

The first wave tries to attack him all at once. Just like with the murderer, his left hand blurs, in Haru's own perspective it became like a whip. A flash of a motion that brutally battered anyone in front of him. The group all stumble back with a few falling to the ground with whines.

"W-What the hell was that!?"

"I didn't even see-! Was that him?!"

The scarred man stands back with the others watching with confusion. Sakamoto begins to walk forward, his back to Haru so she can't see his face, the stretched grin of the Devil.

"_You want to fight...? Well fight..._"

The scarred man gestures for hid men to advance.

"He's a shitty high school brat! This ain't no anime! Kick his ass already!"

The first group gather their bearings and try to attack again. Sakamoto's eyes lower in disappointment. These men aren't like him. Fighting them won't be fun if prolonged. So he ends it fast as he can.

He grabs a kick and kicks the standing leg to have his first victim fall, a tight grip with a simple spin turns said victim into a weapon, a large object that slams into all of the surrounding group. Sakamoto releases him with full momentum towards the scarred man. Both fall over each other with the remaining thugs all shocked at the sight. Sakamoto cackles cruelly as he beckons them.

"You want to touch her? You're dead men if you even think about it! Get the fuck out of our way or **I'll rip your nuts off!**"

The others run at him ignoring his threat, but he can tell it worked, he can see the fear wading off their filthy bodies. Smell the stench of anxiety in their nervous sweat. He punches them back, sending them away with a blow each, putting only as much force as he needs to.

Haru covers her mouth in her own shock. She knew he was a violent person, at the least aggressive, but this is unearthly. Inhuman. When he shoved his fist in their stomachs, it would bulge out from their backs, and their faces near rearranged from hooks to their jaws. This isn't a fight. It's a culling.

Sakamoto stops throwing punches soon after all but one man remains. The scarred man stands to his feet only to be stricken with terror...

"Don't come after us again."

Sakamoto's face returns to a normal stoic stare before he returns to Haru's side. He doesn't look at her because it occurs to him that he blew it. His addiction, his vice, his only form of joy has gotten in the way of things. He knows he could have gone easier on those roaches. Now, whatever Haru had though of him has fallen away.

This isn't the case.

She reluctantly hugs his arm. His bare arm. The sleeve had torn during the fight and revealed his own scars on his body. Haru comes to her own conclusion.

"You've been fighting for a long time... Haven't you."

He doesn't answer for a moment. She herself detest violence. However, when she saw him fighting, something woke up inside then. A sense of satisfaction. Perhaps because it was self-defense, or because the men had quite literally asked for it, whatever the reason one thing was certain.

"Ryuji. Thank you for keeping me safe."

"Anytime."


	7. Chapter 7

Makoto steps in front of Sakamoto with her arms folded. The two often glare at each other but rarely have they interacted throughout the week.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He rolls his eyes at her and holds up his school bag.

"I'm going to study."

"To the roof?"

"That a problem?"

She grimaces and points to the stairs just behind her.

"As a matter of fact, it is! You know that being up there is prohibited!"

"What the fuck do you actually want with me, teacher's pet?"

She leans back from that but looks around noticing the unwanted attention. She leans forward whispering.

"I need to meet with you about something important in the Student Council Room."

Sakamoto just stares at her uncaring at how serious his upperclassman is. She walks away hoping that he would at least meet her there. To her surprise, he does, the two take their seats at the table.

"I've been investigating Kamoshida-sensei while looking into you as well... I've heard about your belief that he's abusing students."

"You mean to say you were stalking me again and listened in on me."

Her face turns pink and she steels her gaze towards him.

"I've Heard. I wanted to think your accusations were baseless but, after doing my own investigation, I've come to a difficult choice... Either I ignore you or I take what you say seriously."

His smile widens with his face brightening at her reluctant tone.

"Oho! ~ So you can see with those eyes of yours after all!"

She scoffs and stands from her seat.

"You don't have to be such an asshole all the time!"

Both of them stop to look shocked at her outburst. He says nothing, but keeps his smile, chuckling as she sits back down with a polite cough.

"I-I asked around to no real evidence, but the signs you brought up are clear, too many students are suffering peculiar injuries. The most I was able to get out of was a first-year, Yuuki Mishima."

"Why are you telling me his name like it's important?"

"Because he's the one you stood up for during the game not too long ago. I know I'm keeping you from Okumura-san, but I simply wanted to tell you about this, and hopefully... You can be of some proper use instead of being a constant menace."

"Solving a mess that ain't mine to fix so I can be more popular?"

"Because it's the right thing to do!"

"And who decided that? You?"

"Is being selfless anathema to you?!"

"Is being useless all you're good for? Relying on a menace to solve your problems sounds pretty bad on it's own, don't it?"

She has nothing to say to that. It occurs to her right then and the harsh words hit hard. He stands and his smile vanishes when he sees her lowering her head.

"... Tell you what, Mako-Chan. Prove you're not worthless and I'll take everything back."

"..."

He leaves her alone with that and makes his way to the roof.

* * *

Sakamoto shakes his head smiling as he watches Haru sit in one of the discarded desks with her umbrella propped up on the center. It had been raining all day. She waves him over eager to see him with his school bag.

"I thought for sure you'd use the rain as an excuse to not study today!"

He walks over slowly as to gather rainwater before flicking his wrist at her to sprinkle droplets onto her.

"Shuddap. We made a deal, I gotta honor my side since you've been honoring yours."

"Can you tell me about yourself finally?"

He takes a seat at the same desk while getting his books out.

"I think it goes without saying I didn't have a nice childhood."

Sakamoto speaks while he studying notes he took in class with Haru now over his shoulder.

"You had no parents..."

He shakes his head, still smiling with his fangs bared, even as his eyes lower.

"Yeah, exactly like that. I didn't know the story until I was four... My folks sold me off to pay their debts."

Haru gasps with her hand over her mouth.

"S-Sold-?! Ryuji, you can't be serious!"

He gives her a look as his smile twists to an offended frown for a moment.

"Oi, oi, we made a deal didn't we? Just listen, it ain't all that bad, okay?"

Not all that bad? Being sold off by the people who brought you into this world is rather, heartbreaking to say the least, at least to her. He continues.

"The debt collectors must've felt bad, so I was taken into a family of mobsters, and honestly I was living like royalty. Even when I heard about being unwanted, I didn't care cause those guys treated me good, they were my family..."

"What happened?"

"They died."

She isn't sure what she expected. She remains silent as he continues.

"They pissed off the wrong people, still don't know the details, but a bigger gang took them out. Anyone not killed were kidnapped and taken someone else."

"You were kidnapped...?"

He shakes his head and lifts his shirt. Several scars, some faint, some deep, the one he points to is a distinct bullet wound.

"Nah, they shot me dead, or at least thought they did. Bullet hit my rib dead on but stopped right at the bone. I passed out from the shock and pain. When I woke up, cops were all around me, and everyone I knew was being carted off in bags."

She pales looking from scar to scar. She's never seen them outside of movies and a few of her father's bodyguards. Never has she seen so many in one place too.

"H-How awful... A-All those... Those are all real...?!"

"Scars are a sign of prestige in some parts of the world! ~ Thankfully it's easy to hide mine since Japan doesn't like 'em that much."

He lets his shirt down but she hangs her head unable to understand how he could still smile to this day.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Gwahaha! Don't be! The conflict made me strong!"

"It's made you hostile and untrustworthy in the eyes of others too..."

Sakamoto taps his chin with his pencil before shrugging.

"That's fair. Anyways, I got sent from orphanage to orphanage, causing trouble due to my shitty attitude. Eventually I landed in a shithole called... Well. I'd rather not say actually."

"Y-You don't have to say!"

"I met my first friend there though... I got my ass kicked a lot, but always fought back, there were bad days and good days. It was miserable all the same."

"So what changed?"

Sakamoto stops looking through his notes and looks up with an eerie expression on his face. A strange confused mix between sorrow and joy. A broken expression of a half smile.

"I met the guy who taught me how to be strong..."

"S-Someone... Taught you to fight? Th-That makes sense."

He shakes his head.

"No, no, I did copy his style but... I'm self-taught. All experience, Haru. He taught me that everyone starts off weak, but the weak can be strong, and the strong rules over all. I'd pick fights with him daily, trying to prove how strong I was, and every time he'd break me."

Haru tilts her head at that.

"Y-You look... Happy. Happier than I've ever seen you actually."

"Huh-?! Oh-!"

He literally wipes his face with his sleeve before it returns to the lazy smile she's become familiar with.

"It's uh... Special memory to me. The years I spent with that guy... I'd hate to admit it, but he's the closest to a father I got."

"Did he die too?"

"No, no, he said he was leaving one day and I followed after him. After three years of playing catch up, he told me that only the weak cling to the strong, so... I stopped clinging to him."

He leans back into his chair groaning with a stretch.

"That's about... A couple weeks before I started coming to this school. Yeah. I was with him for a long time trying to figure out how to be strong on my own. Never realized all I had to do was actually be on my own."

"You're wrong."

"Huh?"

Haru shakes her head at him.

"You're strong but... You lack what makes other people strong too. Having friends is true strength. I... I'm not as weak as you think I am."

Sakamoto raises a brow at her before his smile grows.

"I don't think you're weak, Haru. Not anymore. You just have a different kind of strength is all."

"You think so?"

"Which is why I don't gotta walk you home! You got a ride of your own anyways!"

She gives him a deadpan before tapping a finger on his notes.

"I still want to walk with you! I need to be sure you don't hurt someone who doesn't deserve! I still don't approve of your fight last time either!"

"Whatever..."

* * *

"Yuuki! Yo, wait right there!"

Mishima stops dead in his tracks. He turns around slowly before nearly falling over from Sakamoto's face being inches from his own.

"Boo!"

"A-Ah!"

Sakamoto chuckles as he steps back.

"Hehehe! ~ You sound like a girl."

"That wasn't funny..."

"Yeah it was. Say. Come with me. I've got a cute girl who's interested."

Mishima raises a brow at him before frowning.

"You're only trouble... I shouldn't have anything to do with you."

"You saying that after your whip master cracked down on you, double time?"

Mishima stays silent with his head down. He opens his mouth to speak his mind at last, but Sakamoto pulls him along by his hair, groaning out of boredom.

"You're taking too long to answer! C'mon, Yuuki!"

"O-Ow! Ow! St-S-Stop it! That hurts!"

He isn't sure how or why, maybe it's because he never had a friend to hang out with. Perhaps it was due to the presence of a cute girl he was told was interested in him, and Haru is certainly cute, but he knew she wasn't interested. Maybe it's because he escaped the torture of one man only to fall into the hands of another tormentor.

He knew that in the end it was because he never has the strength to say no.

Now here he is walking side by side with a thug out of school. It was luck, whether good or bad he isn't sure, that Kamoshida isn't there to see students off but another teacher. Kawakami. She waves off of numerous students until they arrive.

"Mishima-kun? Sakamoto-kun?"

The blonde stops to leer at her with a stoic frown.

"Oi, you're looking kind of sleepy teach. Shouldn't you be getting eight hours of sleep a day?"

She shakes her head at the remark.

"Your eyes have so many bags it like they're going on vacation. Just try to stay out of trouble and don't drag Mishima-kun into it."

Haru quickly runs to their side between them and Kawakami.

"I'll make sure of it sensei! You have nothing to fear."

Haru quickly excuses them before the teacher can process it, leading the group to her limousine, leaving Mishima speechless while Sakamoto whistles.

"Wow, you're actually letting us ride around in your private chariot?"

Haru nods ignoring his condescension.

"Indeed! You should best be grateful, Ryuji! As for you, Mishima-kun..."

She smiles brightly at him, immediately turning the boy's face pink, though she remains unaware of that.

"It's nice to make your acquaintance. I hope Ryuji hasn't been too rough with you..."

"U-Uh... I... Uh..."

He is snapped out of his stunned stupor from Sakamoto elbowing him.

"He didn't say no so I just dragged him with us. Say, we oughta celebrate actually! I know just the place!"

That's why he's here, in an arcade, hanging out with the most unlikely pair. However, although he came unwillingly, he has to admit to him. Playing Gun About with them, teaching them about the various games present, and Haru being able to pay for it all? What started as a nightmare has transformed into a good time.

Even Sakamoto's wild and crude nature couldn't ruin this for him as he was beaten in fighting games. He expected Sakamoto to lash out, to hit him or berate him, instead...

"Holy shit that was a fucking sick combo! Yuuki! You gotta coach me on this! How'd you do that?!"

"H-Ha-Hahaha... I-It's not that hard actually..."

Haru taps his shoulder pointing to the exit.

"Excuse me you two, but it's getting late outside, we should really head home."

Mishima gasps as he takes his phone out.

"A-Ah! I'm supposed to be home by now! A-And I live so far away..."

Haru and Sakamoto exchange looks before they both smile at each other. She leaves them both with Sakamoto patting Mishima's shoulder.

"Hey, no homo, but I'll walk you home alright?"

"H-Huh?! What about Okumura-senpai?"

"She's rich! ~ Not to mention, I've been meaning to ask, what's the deal with Shovel Chin?"

Mishima trips over himself and his words.

"S-Shovel-!? D-Do you mean... Kamoshida-sensei?"

"Yeah, why is he an asshole? You do something to piss him off?"

"N-No! It's... You wouldn't get it. You aren't part of the Volleyball Team."

Sakamoto gives him a look before he starts walking ahead.

"Alright, fine. I won't press on you for it this time... But you've got more power than you know, Yuuki."

"What would you know, Sakamoto?! You're just some loudmouth with a scary face!"

Mishima covers his mouth and steps back profusely apologizing.

"N-No! Wait! I-I didn't mean that-! I'm sorry!"

Sakamoto's face certainly shows an unearthly rage... But he closes his eyes, takes in a breath, and puts a hand on Mishima's shoulder.

"It's fine. I haven't given you a reason to see me otherwise. I won't say you're wrong either anyhow... Which way is your place?"

"T-This way..."

On the way, Mishima gives the occasional glance, unable to speak much as he justifies his behavior to himself. Sakamoto dragged him out here, kept him out way later than he should have been, even though he's stayed up to the point of sunrise before... The more he thinks on it the more it didn't seem right to him.

This angry, belligerent, vulgar boy hasn't hit him once. Hasn't called him a loser, worthless, and even said he had... Power. What did this guy know of power though? That's when they were stopped by a group of men.

Sakamoto noticed these men from the start, as did Haru, as it was why she left the two alone. They were being followed since they left the school. One of the men is the scarred man from before.

"There you are punk! This place is quiet, and perfect for your body, we'll dump it in someone's garbage so it's taken out to the dump where it belongs!"

Mishima shrinks back behind Sakamoto shivering.

"W-What the...!? What's going on!? W-W-Wh-Who are these guys...?!"

Sakamoto picks his ear casually smiling.

"Some sore loser who couldn't pay his bill at the Beef Bowl shop."

The scarred man snarls at the remark.

"You asshole! You battered my family up! If you had let your ass get kicked, then we wouldn't be here, now you and your boyfriend are dead!"

Sakamoto rolls his head to a series of pops and snaps.

"Yo Yuuki. Try to get away. If they hold you hostage I'm gonna run right through you."

"WHAT?!"

Mishima takes to the ground and closed his eyes tight as if he were caught in a gunfight. He stayed there on the ground expecting the worst as he heard awful things. Glass breaking, flesh being pounded on, grunts and shouts of effort. He had enough.

First his teammates, then fellow students, how much longer can he just sit by and let people suffer around him? Is he so much of a loser that all he can do is just... Let them suffer? Just sit there and take it?!

No! Even if it's something minimal, this delinquent has did his damndest to be a friend to him, the least he can do is be a friend back! He takes his phone out and cracks an eye open to call the police.

However, his curiosity led him to look up at the fight, before both eyes flew wide.

Sakamoto caught a baseball bat made of wood with his fangs and broke with his jaw alone, chewing right through it like a shark, finishing the offending thug with a ferocious headbutt. At that, most of the group; many who had already suffered injuries, began to run away.

"T-That freak won't go down no matter how much we hit him!"

"He broke that thing with his fucking mouth! Look! He's chewing on the wood!"

F-F-Fuck this! I can't even feel my arm! You're on your own, Toyami!"

The scarred man growls despite his newfound fear of this inhuman boy... He points at him with a crack in his voice.

"Y-You! I'll... I'll get you! Dammit!"

He runs off too and Sakamoto spits out the remains of the bat.

"Sheesh, I was just starting to have fun too... Yuuki! It's over now."

He turns to see Mishima still staring at him as if he were a spectacle. Sakamoto snaps his fingers in front of the freshman's face before pulling him up to this feet by his hair.

"What did I just say!? Stand up, man! You can still walk, yeah?"

"Uh-! Ow! Ow! I-?! Yes? Yes!"

"Then walk home!"

"I gotta find my own place."

He begins to walk off but Mishima stops him.

"S-Sakamoto! Don't you have a home to stay in...?"

"No. I sleep on the streets... If I can get any sleep in."

"You're joking!"

Sakamoto snickers and starts to walk off.

"Y'know, some people would call you a huge coward for not helping... But I saw you with your phone ready to call the cops. Take care, Yuuki. I might make something useful out of you yet."


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, kid. You can't laze around here. Get going punk."

A policeman kicks Sakamoto's leg to wake him up from his slumber. The boy tired from running on no sleep for days, trying to conserve his cash, not that he had enough for a hotel anyways. However, he didn't wake up nor did he respond. The officer gives him another kick raising his voice.

"I get it's the middle of the night but you can't hang around here! Homeless or otherwise!"

Nothing. The officer leans down and checks the body. Untreated wounds from weeks of abuse revealed under the shirt, splinters in the cheeks and around the lips, even his eyes looked bruised although it was only bags from sleep deprivation.

The policeman spits to the side shaking his head.

"I can't believe someone would just drop a corpse here… Why on my patrol?"

He walks away with his phone in hand. He thinks about it, then puts it away.

"No one else is out so I can just say I wasn't here at the time… Let someone else deal with this. It's just some hair dyed punk anyways."

But he is wrong. A passerby, someone who would rather not get involved saw this injustice and couldn't ignore it. An elderly man nears Ryuji's body to inspect it himself. He's never seen a dead body outside of proper funerals, so this is a shock to him, that someone would treat somebody like this. Of course, like the officer, he had his own biased judgements from looking at him… However, it didn't mean that this boy deserved to die, not to him.

Just as he is about to call out to the officer, Ryuji coughs, startling the old man. Weak breathing as he mumbles in his weakened state.

"Can't… Stop here… Gotta… Keep going…"

The old man steps back caught in between the emotions of amazement and sympathy. The boy manages to stand on his own and even take few steps.

"Fffucking cop… Never any help… I can do this on my own…"

"Are you sure about that?"

Sakamoto stops nearly passing the man. The usual wild look and idle crazed smile he had, gone. He stares at this frail geezer with a scowl.

"Get lost… Going to call me a punk and keep going too, huh?"

"You're a punk alright. Look at you though, you look like you've been mauled by a tiger, and even worse is I can tell most of those wounds are old. How long have you been going with these untreated cuts, kid?"

"Why's it matter to you… No cash for the hospital bill, so I just keep going."

"Where are your friends? Family? Anybody?"

Sakamoto is silent. Sure, he could get to Haru if he could find a phone, but he didn't want her to see him like this. Weak, pathetic, that unstoppable force that he tailored just for her and those at the school to see. In his delirious state, he begins to hallucinate, seeing Yamazaki in his eyes standing behind the old man.

_"(What's wrong, Bastard? Can't move? Can't breathe? I told you, you'll never be like me, so stop trying! You're too damn weak, too damn soft, you're still clinging onto being human…!)"_

The mental apparition wraps his ghostly hands around the neck of the concerned old man.

_"(You know how the power works… You kill, you get stronger, and you get healed! Kill to be better! Kill to surpass me! That's why you keep fighting by my side right!? Then kill! Kill! **KILL**!)"_

"… I don't have anyone, old man. You're wasting your time."

The old man strokes his beard sighing.

"I guess I am… Still, if you can walk on your own, there's a clinic nearby that's ran by one of my customers. Tell her Sojiro Sakura sent you. She'll put it on my tab."

Sakamoto's eyes widen at the gesture. His menacing scowl falls away to a small smile.

"You'll pay for a stranger's treatment? What's the catch…?"

"You're a student of Shujin, right? I can tell from your uniform pants. Just start taking school seriously and stop doing… Whatever it is that got you like this. The world has enough dead children in it already."

The apparition fades as Sakamoto shakes his head.

"Can't do that. Sorry…"

He falls, succumbing to his exhaustion as he hits the pavement; Sojiro groans watching the boy pass out.

"I'm tempted to leave you like this as is… I don't know if I could live with myself if I did that."

He lifts the boy's body up and has him lean on his shoulder.

"I swear the gods are punishing me with all these young idiots falling my way… Why couldn't it be a cute girl instead?"

* * *

Sojiro arrives at the clinic and barely manages to get the door open. A woman calls out as she locks the door to the examination room.

"We're closed. Go to a normal hospital."

"Sorry ma'am, it's a bit of an emergency, and I don't want his blood in my car."

She turns around quick before quickly unlocking the door.

"Is this what I get after being a loyal customer? You couldn't have just wrap your car seat in plastic?"

"I thought about it but he would've walked off and passed out somewhere else by the time I'd be done."

She turns around raising a brow at the comment.

"He was able to walk looking like that? Never mind that, bring him in. I'll take over from there."

"Thank you, Takemi-sensei."

Sojiro nods and makes his leave after laying the boy out on the examination bed. Takemi has no issues taking his shirt off but is surprised to see the problem. Scars have reopened, internal ruptures, recent wounds overlapping old ones that barely healed. The damage itself was not to a lethal degree, but the amount of injuries were troubling, and could lead to a death similar to a thousand cuts. The more she examined the more she found wrong.

His teeth weren't filed as she originally though. They were naturally grown into fangs, and the shape of his jaw is unlike anything she's seen, a discovery she made by accident when she thought she had broken the lower jaw. His knuckles had little scarring yet suffered the most damage, indicating all the fights he has gotten into throughout his life, and she didn't dare go past the abdomen.

Thankfully for her, the damage stops there, and she had just enough supplies to treat him. The moment she pricks his skin with the sewing needle gave her a slight fright as he stood up abruptly with a loud gasp.

"N-Not again-!"

He shouts having broken into a cold sweat. She looks at him trying to calm him down with a gentle yet stern tone.

"If you have a phobia of needles, that's too bad. I'll need to use them to close these."

"… No I… I was just having a bad dream."

He starts to lay down but she grabs him by his shoulder.

"Ah, ah. Stay like that for a moment. I've got a few questions for you."

"If it's about my face I know I'm ugly and the teeth is genetic disorder."

"That's not it… Well, the teeth one was one of them. How did you get these wounds?"

Sakamoto rolls his eyes at her.

"I got hit by a car."

"I could make a call to the police and they could ask you instead."

"U-Ugh!"

He hates dealing with people like these, especially women; being at their mercy like this is infuriating. Enough to make him go wild when she smirks smugly, but he refrains himself since she's treating him. He growls looking to the side.

"So I get into fights with assholes who have a problem with me. What's the big deal?"

"I've noticed that much already. What I'm asking about is why did you lose consciousness now as opposed to earlier? Studying some of these I can tell you've been at it for days."

"I don't sleep."

"You were sleeping a moment ago. Don't you have-"

"I don't have a house, hotel, nothing and no one. I just go to school, get out of school, and then hit the streets until its morning again. I just… Tell people I sleep on the streets but it's too dangerous to actually do that."

"I see."

She continues her work on his body shaking her head.

"There's internal damage too. I'm not sure how bad it is but I-"

"I'll be fine. I just need to eat something and I'll be good to go."

"Oh? So, you're a Shonen character?"

"I don't read that stuff."

"It'll take more than food and good rest to fix what's wrong with you… You don't have any money?"

"Usually I steal it off the guys that pick fights with me."

"So you're a bonafide thug. I'm starting to feel like these injuries are justified."

"You're free to stop at any time."

They give each other a cold narrowed look. It lasts for about a minute before Takemi smiles at him.

"I saw you before, actually. You were that boy that kicked those loudmouths out the Beef Bowl shop. They must have come after you later, is that it?"

He stays silent but breaks eye contact.

"I heard what you said to your girlfriend then too. You're not that bad of a person, are you."

"What's it matter to you?"

"Want a job that can pay you enough to get you to stop fighting for your cash?"

His head snaps back at her quick as all the anger in him receded at once.

"Hell yeah! I'll do anything for a job! Anything that doesn't cost me my dignity at least!"

"How's being my assistant sound?"

"… Huh?"

Takemi chuckles as finishes tending to his body and leans back casually.

"You've got a scary face, so I bet people don't often talk to you, in fact it might be that face that gets you into fights."

"Just come out and call me ugly, would you…?"

"I never said that. The streets are getting crazier these days and people are getting dumber. I could use a bit of protection here and I'd rather not rely on lazy cops or cutthroat loan sharks. You can stay here, provided you don't make a mess or steal anything, and I'll pay you to act as my security and assistant."

"You're making me feel like Frankenstein's Monster here. I've even got the stitches to go with it!"

She tilts her head amused as she looks him over.

"You read foreign novels?"

"I read whatever I can get my hands on. When you're of the few people without a phone you gotta make do with what you can."

"Then... I guess you would be my monster. There's more to the job but, I'm rather tired, so I'll tell you about it later. I can't give you my keys yet so I'll have to lock you in. There's a bathroom and some snacks in my office you can eat if you're hungry."

Sakamoto merely lays down on the bed and waves at her with a grunt. As she's about to leave though, he calls out to her.

"Oi, doc. You're not going to ask for my name?"

She turns with a coy smile.

"I never gave you mine so I won't ask for yours."

"You're cheeky… I'm Ryuji Sakamoto."

"Tae Takemi. Goodnight, Sakamoto-san."

* * *

The next morning, she opens the clinic to see him asleep in one of the waiting chairs. She sits next to him and observes him closes, his bags had nearly vanished, and when calm his face is relatively normal. She's curious about his body, as she could see the bruises all but heal and his cuts nearly sealed, which brought about an uncomfortable question.

If his body could heal this fast overnight then just how harsh has he been living his whole life. She decides these are questions for later and lightly slaps his cheek.

"Up, up, up Sakamoto-san."

"Mrrgh, is the Sun even up yet?"

"I'd say so. It's Sunday though, so I could let you rest a little while longer."

"Will you?"

"No."

He grumbles and stretches with a yawn.

"Fine, I'm awake. What's the first thing you need me to do?"

"Here. Go into the bathroom and clean yourself up. You stink."

She hands him a bag of hygiene products from soap to a whole new toothbrush. He takes it blinking at her generosity.

"This place has a bathroom?"

"It's a bigger building than you think. Sojiro found some hand-me-down clothes for you to wear when you're done being filthy."

"Uh-huh."

Ryuji exits the bathroom surprised that the clothes are near his size. Takemi greets him with a whistle as she nods for him to follow her.

"I saw you didn't eat anything in the office. You have enough money to pay for your own meal, right?"

"Barely…"

"Then hand me what you have and we'll go out on me."

"I sleep at your place, you take me out to eat, I can't tell if I'm your unconventional tenant or your pet."

She chuckles with a hand over her lips.

"My own personal pet… I usually prefer the company of plants but, somehow, I think this may prove interesting. Don't give me a reason to make you a stray again."

"Yeah yeah…"


End file.
